Our Therapy Team
We are proud to have a comprehensive in house therapy team, comprising of Speech and Language therapists, Occupational therapists, a SEMH (social, emotional and mental health) team, Physiotherapists, Education Audiologist, Teachers of the Deaf and a Counsellor. We provide an integrated therapy approach throughout the curriculum.
The Therapy Team works in close collaboration with the Academy Education Team, the Residential Care Team, all external agencies, and families/carers, to maximise best possible outcomes for all our students. We know that children and young people learn and move forward in their educational journey when the needs identified in their EHCP are supported. We provide assessment, treatment and advice as required based on each students’ individual needs. As an integrated team, we also provide support and training to staff, so that they can better support our learners.
Technology at the Academy
At the Deaf Academy we continue to embrace new technology and are constantly evolving and innovating our approach to learning.
One of our most successful advances is our use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) tools to help people who struggle with speech. Our staff take a unique, inclusive approach by combining personalised AAC use with BSL, ensuring all communication forms are accessible. Students use their AAC devices out in the local community, helping them overcome communication barriers with the hearing community. Students now confidently interact in public, supporting their independence and reducing their reliance on staff interpreters.
Our students also enjoy the use of our new state-of-the-art vibrating vests called Woojers, which embrace the latest in haptic and Bluetooth technology. They were kindly donated to the Academy by Exeter Southernhay and Topsham Rotary Club. They have a wide range of therapeutic, educational and social benefits, enabling students to experience sound through vibrations.
The Academy has also recently introduced Virtual Reality headsets into learning. The VRs are being used for creating immersive learning experiences, such as virtual field trips to historical sites like the Titanic or the Amazon rainforest and enabling collaborative problem-solving in virtual spaces. We are also using them to support students’ fitness, coordination and well-being.